Important Updates...

Poetry Anthology, Best Microfiction results, Phenomenal site stats...

Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope you're all having a great weekend! It's turning into a cold one here in Tennessee… we're currently under a winter weather advisory, below zero wind chills and up to an inch of ❄️… 🥶… hope it's warmer where you are, and, if not, hope you stay warm!

Poetry Anthology

A couple announcements about the upcoming Best of Poetry Anthology…

1. It's look and title has changed. As you know, originally it was simply titled “Micromance Magazine’s Best of Poetry 2025” and featured a lavender polka-dotted cover with flowers and butterflies. Though I absolutely loved the design, the title lacked some *oomph.* I plan to market the book and plan to have it successful, not just for Micromance, but for the contributors involved. And, honestly, I don't see it piquing the interest of mainstream readers with a “generic” Best of Poetry title, and with a background in marketing/advertising, I should have known better. And I guess, in my heart did, because, even though I loved the cover design, in the back of my mind kept thinking it needed a stronger more enticing title. It needed to be a title that summed up the contents perfectly. So, I read through some of the included poems, searching for inspiration. A few lines stood out… I batted a few phrases around… and what stuck out the most were the words “naked taunt” from the poem “Dirty Dare.” And I thought of the contents of the anthology - poems of love and lust; sweet and steamy; vulnerable and emotional; some even raw with that emotion… these poems, these lines, like naked taunts, stir the heart snd the soul. And so a new title, a new simpler, but more emphatic, design was born:

   

   As you'll notice, it's still a Micromance Magazine Best of Poetry book… but it's much more aesthetically pleasing, seductively interesting… speaks to the “poetic honesty” of its contents… this I can market.. !

2. Pre-orders for “Like Naked Taunts” open today. When the approximately 40 page anthology reaches Amazon, it's price will be $12.99, plus, of course, shipping (if you're not a prime member). Through this pre-order, save $3 and get free shipping - for $9.99 you'll be among the first to receive a copy as soon as they're available (tentatively scheduled for a late March release.) International orders are a few dollars more, at $13.99 (US), and that includes shipping. Orders can be placed through Micromance Magazine’s Ko-fi (payment through PayPal):

https://ko-fi.com/s/568c3233bd

Pre-orders are open until February 20th…

Best Microfiction Results

The list of those to be included in the Best Microfiction 2025 Anthology were announced yesterday…

Best Microfiction Results

Congratulations to all of the winners, but unfortunately, none of Micromance’s nominees made the list. But don't be disheartened. Your stories are just as good, if not better, than those on the list. This is a highly popular and competitive prize … and, of course, it's completely subjective to what the judge was looking for… you'll notice many of the winners come from very “literary” magazines, many of which, like Wigleaf, are considered “prestigious” or “dream publications.” It's not a huge surprise that Micromance didn't receive “representation” among that list - there remains a bit of a “stigma” on romance not being literature. But, as you know, here at Micromance we are actively working on changing that…. And one way is by nominating our brilliant writers and their stories for all the small press awards we can! So, remember, there's always next year - so keep on writing on!

Stats!

The stats are awesome!!

We just broke 470 subscribers - that's 80 for January, so far!!

Traffic-wise, we broke 10,000 views - at this moment we are where we were for the whole month of August…and we still have 12 days to go!! We're on par for 15/16000 views this month!! And that's beyond exciting!

Our open rate (percentage of emails opened) is pushing 42% - the highest ever (and pushing Substack’s high end avg)!! And that stat is reflecting in the post views - nearly every post this month has performed above our normal standard, receiving well over 200 views in their first 24 hrs!!

Submissions are rolling in - we're sitting at 60 for January, with an average of 3.5 per day .. if that keeps up we'll be at about 100 by month's end, which is where we should be…

Response for our KissMet Quarterly Anthology has been awesome as well. The call was announced on short notice for very specifically themed stories and we've received 15 submissions, with a handful more expected (via communication from the authors), and, as usual in these cases, based on inquiries and the number of bookmarked posts, I'm expecting a slight last-minute influx of subs! But remember, submissions are open until January 31. If you need a slight extension, please let me know. Hope to see more of your springtime sweet romances in the inbox!

And, as always, thank you all for your support, for reading the content, for submitting phenomenal content, for sharing, for encouraging each other, and for creating an incredible community!!

The Cupid Prize

One quick update:

All results have been turned in, except those for the Editor's Choice Category. All of the judges have expressed how difficult it was to come up with a winner, as all the pieces are wonderful! So, now I am working on personalizing the digital prize certificates and preparing for February 14th…

Also to be announced that day:

The Sharing the Love Awards to those most encouraging contributors and two “honorary” Cupid Prize Special Achievement Awards for Inspiration!

So mark your calendars for February 14th…

All results will be announced via newsletter, then shared throughout the weekend on social media…. Winners will receive their certificates via email!

Thanks again…. You're all awesome, and don't forget it!

Gail Lynn, EIC 🥰